Friday, August 22, 2014

This is the sixth update for the 2014 Summer edition of International Shortwave Frequency Guide. The ebook from Teak Publishing, can be purchased at Amazon.com for U.S. $4.99, and is available at http://www.amazon.com/dp/Book6YKNFM

All time references are UTC, frequencies in kHz (kilohertz) // indicates a parallel frequency. Broadcast are daily unless otherwise indicated.

Kuwait, R Kuwait
Changes of Radio Kuwait, General Service effective from August 13: 0000-2400 on 15475
addit from July 24 to Aug.12 Arabic, cancelled 0200-0900 on 5960 KBD 500 kW / non-dir to N/ME Arabic,
back on air 1700-2000 on 13650 KBD 500 kW / 350 deg to NoAm Arabic, back on air+videos 2000-2400 on
17550 KBD 500 kW / 350 deg to NoAm Arabic, back on air.
(Ivo Ivanov/HCDX)

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Australia - The End of the RA English Service - A Personal Commentary.

I received this from a friend at Radio Australia this morning:

"Greetings again from down under...

By week's end the RA English Service, as we know it, will have ceased. All original RA programming will have disappeared to be replaced by yet more domestic programming from a range of ABC networks. This Monday and Tuesday, the English language unit received their official marching orders and will be all out the door by next Wednesday. The Asia Pacific News Center will continue to produce news bulletins for part of the day but for the rest it will be like listening to ABC domestic radio.

Most of them would not have chosen to leave. Fortunately, all receive redundancy packages and for those who were with the organisation for some time those packages will be quite large, in dollar terms. Some compensation I suppose. If they had been working in commercial radio they'd be lucky to get much more than a few weeks pay."

So, there you have it. Yes, I suppose the news could have been worse in that shortwave or the service itself could have been shut down entirely. It's true that the net result between this change and the last of the string of previous changes that came before it can be viewed as being merely incremental. However, it's also true that this last change has an air of finality to it the proverbial "last nail in the coffin" is not an inappropriate take.

For those of us with a longer memory, the wholesale merger of what we appreciated as an independent international service known as "Radio Australia" into some sort of amalgam that no longer recognizes a difference in the needs, wants and characteristics of an international audience vis-a-vis a domestic one is not an insignificant nor "happy" occasion. Having it engineered, not as a well thought out coordinated plan to improve services to such audiences, but as another thoroughly last-minute emergency response to an ideological putsch from a government which let's not put too find a point on it lied about its intentions in this regard makes it that much harder to swallow.

The saddest part is that the powers-that-be no longer appear to view such targeted, tailored, well-considered mass international outreach as necessary to a culture's cross-border communication efforts. International understanding is left to social media (shoot-from-the-hip "tweets"), ubiquitous popular culture and commercial ventures whose principal aim is to exploit an audience for pecuniary gain over objectively informing that audience on matters that arguably transcend the mere commercial needs of media sponsors.

To be sure, many if not most "international services" of government-supported broadcasters often did a lousy job of this as well, attempting to exploit such audiences all the same but for the political and ideological benefit of the sponsoring country. However, this was not true of ALL such broadcasters. And this was never true of Radio Australia.

Testament to this fact is the sense of loss being expressed by listeners in the Pacific region, a largely geopolitically forgotten area that received special consideration from Radio Australia in a way that no other such broadcaster saw or sees fit (other than Radio New Zealand International, now also apparently under some new duress) to provide.

So, make no mistake. While there still will be a 24/7 shortwave presence from Australia, while that space will likely be filled by thoroughly fine programming from the excellent Radio National, something significant even vital has been lost. Probably forever. While some may disagree, I thinkn that's something to lament.
(J Figliozzi/DXplorer Aug 13/WWDXC Top Nx 1173)

On 15 August, the Panama Canal reached a milestone of 100 years since its inauguration in 1914. To date the Canal Panama remains a trading company profitable and also maintains its performance in key maritime link .

The location strategic Canal Panama and the short distance between the Atlantic and the Pacific, has led for many years to make this a very popular route for navigation.

In Antena Dx can not overlook this important for Panamanians so we have developed a special QSL to commemorate the centenary of the Panama Canal date.

In the nextntena DX will be giving you details about the special QSL commemorating 100 years of the Panama Canal.

"ANTENA DX" is a radio program dedicated to exploring the exciting world of radio, Internet issues, telecommunications and new technologies.

"ANTENA DX" is the first and only program of its kind that occurs in Panama, Central America and is produced and hosted by Victor Gutierrez from the studios of radio SPARK STEREO in Torti, Panama and counts with the collaboration of correspondents specialized for different countries.

:Issued: 2014 Aug 18 0139 UTC
# Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Weather Prediction Center
# Product description and SWPC web contact www.swpc.noaa.gov/weekly.html
#
# Weekly Highlights and Forecasts
#
Highlights of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 11 - 17 August 2014
Solar activity was at very low to low levels. This period saw predominately B-class flare activity with isolated C-class flare activity, especially late in the period. The largest event of the period was a C2/Sf flare at 0930 UTC on 16 Aug from Region 2144 (S17, L=107, class/area=Dsi/220 on 17 Aug). In addition to the C2 flare, Region 2144 produced two additional low-level C-class flares and Region 2139 (N13, L=058, class/area=Eac/140 on 15 Aug)contributed three low-level C-class flares this period.
A filament eruption estimated at 30 degree in extent was observed leaving the solar disk in SDO/AIA 193 and 304 imagery between 1630-1715 UTC on 15 Aug. A subsequent partial-halo coronal mass ejection (CME) was observed in SOHO/LASCO C2 coronagraph imagery beginning at 15/1800 UTC. Forecaster analysis of this event and WSA-ENLIL model output suggest an anticipated CME arrival at Earth late on 19 Aug.
No proton events were observed at geosynchronous orbit.
The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit was at normal levels on 12 Aug with normal to moderate levels observed on 11, 13-17 Aug. A maximum flux value of 565 pfu was observed at 1605 UTC on 11 Aug.
Geomagnetic field activity was quiet on 13-16 Aug under nominal solar wind conditions. Quiet to unsettled levels were observed on 11 and 17 Aug and quiet to active levels were observed on 12 Aug, due to coronal hole high speed stream effects.
Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 18 August - 13 September 2014
Solar activity is expected to be low throughout the period with a slight chance for M-class (R1-R2 (Minor-Moderate)) flare activity for 21 Aug - 06 Sep due to the return of old Regions 2127 (S09, L=249, class/area=Dkc/300 on 30 Jul) and 2130 (S07, L= 230, class/area=Ekc/290 on 01 Aug), which produced one and two M-class flares, respectively.
No proton events are expected at geosynchronous orbit.
The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to be at normal to moderate levels throughout the outlook period.
Geomagnetic field activity is expected to be quiet on 18, 23-27, and 30 Aug, 03-05 and 09-13 Sep. Quiet to active conditions are expected on 19-20 Aug due to the anticipated arrival of the 15 Aug coronal mass ejection (CME), followed by quiet to unsettled conditions on 21-22 Aug due to coronal hole high speed stream (CH HSS) effects. Quiet to unsettled conditions are expected on 28-29 Aug due to a solar sector boundary crossing followed by a co-rotation interaction region. Quiet to active conditions are expected on 31 Aug followed by quiet to unsettled levels on 01-02 Sep due to CH HSS effects. Quiet to unsettled levels are expected on 06-08 Sep due to CH HSS effects.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

This is the fifth update for the 2014 Summer edition of International Shortwave Frequency Guide. The ebook from Teak Publishing, can be purchased at Amazon.com for U.S. $4.99, and is available at http://www.amazon.com/dp/Book6YKNFM

All time references are UTC, frequencies in kHz (kilohertz) // indicates a parallel frequency. Broadcast are daily unless otherwise indicated.

VOA Radiogram this weekend will
include news about a new trans-Pacific undersea cable, and about the closing of
the VOA Greek Service after 72 years on the air. There will be a news item in
Greek, so have the UTF-8 character set on Fldigi.

Here is the lineup for VOA
Radiogram, program 72, 16-17 August 2014 (MFSK32):

The VOA Mandarin digital text
tests resume today. Instead of punching through the co-channel interference
using the narrow bandwidth of MFSK16, the tones will now be dispersed across the
shortwave broadcast channel with Olivia 32-2000 centered on 1500 Hz. Under Op
Mode, this will require an Olivia custom setting -- bandwidth: 2000 Hz; tones:
32

These videos of VOA Mandarin
MFSK16 versus the co-channel interference were made by T.W. in Shimane
Prefecture, Japan. Most of the voices and music you hear are Chinese domestic
radio. VOA is in the background until the MFSK16 starts…

The Mighty
KBC will transmit a minute of MFSK64
Saturday at about 1130 UTC on 6095 kHz and Sunday at about 0130 UTC (Saturday
9:30 pm EDT) on 9925 kHz. Both frequencies are via Germany. Send reports for
these transmissions to themightykbc@gmail.com
.

Thanks for your reports for
last weekend’s VOA Radiogram and for the VOA Mandarin text transmissions over
the past few days. I will answer them soon.

Ben Rhodes Outlines Role of International Media, Board Examines RFE/RL and Shortwave

WASHINGTON - The Broadcasting Board of Governors met yesterday in
Washington, DC, to examine the activities and accomplishments of Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty and to explore the agency's impact and reach in an
increasingly competitive media environment.
In remarks to the Board,
Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for
Strategic Communications and Speechwriting Ben Rhodes reiterated the President's
commitment to U.S. international media. He commended the historical legacy of
the networks while observing that this is a critical juncture for U.S.
international media in an increasingly competitive international marketplace.

Rhodes praised the Board
for its strategic vision and emphasized the value of international media, saying
the BBG and its networks can "significantly strengthen American foreign policy,
increase interest in and understanding of priority issues and open access to
information where it may be denied or misrepresented."

"We have the right team in
place," he added, referring to the Board, "to make a lasting
contribution."

Separately, RFE/RL leadership
outlined the network's activities and initiatives in reaching audiences in 28
languages. Nenad Pejic and John Giambalvo, Interim Managers of RFE/RL,
led the "deep dive" presentation, which emphasized the network's forward
thinking approach to providing unbiased news and information on multiple
distribution platforms to regions affected by war, conflict and authoritarian
regimes.

RFE/RL executives, editors and
journalists participating via video from Prague, highlighted the network's
achievements in digital and social media, programming, technology, and impact
throughout its broadcast regions.

Discussion covered the network's
response to the crisis in Ukraine, including the creation of additional
programming, increasing reach through new partnerships, and on-the-scene
coverage despite the increasingly dangerous reporting environments.

"I want to commend your efforts
to expand the Russian language newscasts," said Rick Stengel, Under Secretary of
State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. "Given the information
battlefields we are seeing in Russia and Ukraine, this represents a true
realization of your mission."

In addition to the in-depth look
at RFE/RL, the Board held a business meeting, which began with an update on
recent threats to BBG journalists. The list, BBG Chairman Jeff Shell lamented,
is unfortunately growing and includes death threats, injuries and detainment of
BBG journalists in Iraq, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Crimea,
Ukraine, Vietnam and South Sudan. Shell also noted the upcoming second
anniversary of the disappearance of Alhurra
reporter Bashar Fahmi.

Chairman Shell recognized the
decades of hard work and dedication of Voice of America's Greek Service, which
ended broadcasts on August 11 as well as the 60th anniversary of RFE/RL's
Ukrainian Service.

Governor Matt Armstrong, chairman
of the Board's Special Committee on the Future of Shortwave Radio Broadcasting,
summarized the recently released report, "To Be Where The Audience
Is." The report is the result of a comprehensive review of the efficacy of
shortwave radio as a distribution platform for U.S. international media.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

This morning, August 13, 2014, the Broadcasting Board of Governors met at the BBG headquarters in Washington, D.C. The Board's agenda included a discussion on FY 2015 regional strategies and establishment of new Board special committees, and an exceptional video report overview from the leadership of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The video provided the Board with an overview of the network’s operations throughout the trouble spots across the globe. The Board also received a report by its Special Committee on the Future of Shortwave Broadcasting.
(G Van Horn)

Exceprts from the BBG report on shortwave include;

In October 2013, the Board established the Special Committee on the Future of Shortwave Broadcasting to undertake a comprehensive review of the efficacy of shortwave radio as a distribution platform for U.S. international media. Taking an audience-first approach, the Committee found that shortwave use is heavily concentrated in a limited number of countries; that other means of delivery are used and preferred by many of the BBG’s target demographics across most markets; that audiences tend to migrate to other media as they become available; that audiences do not return to shortwave in a crisis; and, use of the medium trends downward as audiences eagerly adopt other platforms as they become available.
The BBG, with our limited resources, must choose from a wide variety of media used by our current and future audiences to fulfill our mission to the maximum extent possible. Radio now comes in many formats beyond shortwave: medium wave (AM), FM, satellite and cable delivery, and Internet streams. These modes often overcome many of the traditional shortcomings of shortwave, such as fading, variability in sound quality, and difficulty of tuning. We must also embrace television, as many of our audiences now turn to TV first for news and information and, of course, entertainment. The explosion of social media provides us with exciting new opportunities to complement information delivery with rich interaction and greater audience
interaction, including content contribution by the audience. For many around the world, the next electronic media they acquire will be a cell phone or similar mobile device. The BBG must choose to have a commanding presence the media where our audiences are today and in the future.
The BBG is committed to maintaining its shortwave broadcasting to regions where a critical need for the platform continues while also being diligent to ensure the BBG networks are reaching audiences on the appropriate media. The BBG gratefully acknowledges the strong historical foundation created by shortwave radio broadcasting as we invest in the necessary capabilities for the evolving media environment. The result of this inquiry, arguably the most indepth and comprehensive to-date, is that the Committee recommends substantial “right-sizing” of the BBG’s shortwave broadcasting to be more focused and effective.
(BBG)

Back
in April 2010, Mr. T. R. Rajeesh from South India, Alokesh Gupta from Delhi,
and Anker Petersen from Denmark made a visit to the headquarters of All India
Radio AIR in New Delhi. The visit was
arranged in advance by Alokesh Gupta, and an interesting feature article was
written subsequently by T. R. Rajeesh.The information in this AIR feature here in Wavescan is based upon the
written article by Rajeesh, together with additional historic information from
other sources.

All India Radio is one of the world’s largest radio
networks and it is still active on
shortwave for both international and domestic audiences. AIR as an organization started broadcasting in
January 1936 and since then it has enjoyed
a steady growth. At the time of
their visit four years ago, All India Radio was on the air
with 54 shortwave transmitters, 149 mediumwave transmitters and 172 FM
transmitters.

They have achieved a national area coverage of
nearly 100%, and an average listenership of 350 million. All India Radio broadcasts in 11 Indian and
16 foreign languages.

The AIR headquarters is located in
Parliament Street, New Delhi and they maintain strict security
arrangements. The headquarters
facilities are housed in three buildings, the oldest of which was built in 1943
during the British colonial era, and it was designed in the shape of a round
cassette spool.

This ornate red building was originally
constructed for use with a set of production and recording studios and
administrative offices for the entire nationwide network. These days though it is now in use as a radio
museum with still some recording studios and offices for a few officials. An extension to the building was added in
1954.

There is a new building at the same site with
four floors exclusively for the Spectrum Management and Synergy (formerly
Frequency Assignment Division), as well as Planning & Transmitter
Maintenance. This building was
constructed in 2002 and within it is the office of the Director General of All
India Radio.

There is also another newer building at this
site, the New Broadcasting House, where the External Service Division and state
of the art digital studios are located.

The Deputy Director of Engineering in SMS, the
Spectrum Management Division, Mr. B. K. Oberoi, welcomed the
three visitors and introduced them to Mr. M. S. Ansari
who is the Division Director. An interesting discussion on the shortwave medium ensued, its challenges and future.

The verification policy of AIR was also a
subject of discussion and it was indicated that they receive a large flow of
reception reports and at any point in time many reports are still pending. When a reception report is received it is sent
to the concerned language department or the regional station for verification
of program content. The report is then
returned to SMS where a QSL is issued.
Regarding their verification policy, they said that they plan to discontinue
QSLing mediumwave and FM broadcasts in the future.

It was also stated that reception
reports for the AIR General Overseas Service beamed to the European target area
come mostly from Finland, Germany and England, but in total, most of the flow
of reception reports come from the United States. Even though AIR does not intentionally target
North America, yet the AIR General Overseas Service is well heard in the United
States.

There was also a discussion
regarding
the experimental DRM transmissions, which are regularly monitored by Alokesh
Gupta in New Delhi. It was stated that AIR
plans to convert some shortwave transmitters, nearly 10%,
to DRM capability in the near future. In
addition, both mediumwave and FM transmitters will be
converted to DRM capability in the next phase of development.

At the conclusion of the discussions,
the three visitors were accorded a tour of the three building complex, including the
twelve digital state of the art studios in the new building, New Broadcasting
House. They also visited the External
Services Division where the Deputy Director Ms. Nayyar Sadrudin received them.

Ms Nayyar enquired about
the broadcasts they listened to and Danish international radio monitor, Anker Petersen,
handed her a reception report from a recent broadcast of the General Overseas
Service. She called the announcers
mentioned in the report and the visitors met Kaushik Roy who hosts the mailbag program “Faithfully
Yours”and also Sanjiv
Baruah. Interestingly, Sanjiv Baruah is
the son of the former All India Radio Director General, Mr. U. L. Baruah who
wrote the authoritative book on AIR,“This is All India Radio”, published
back in 1983.

After visiting the External Services Division, the
trio proceeded to the old red coloured building, the original Akashvani Bhavan,
where they saw the Radio and TV museum on the ground floor. Lots of old receivers are displayed there,
including Philips and Grundig from the 1920s and 1930s, as well as old TV
cameras, and many other items of historic importance.

Comments about the General
Overseas Service are encouraged and All India Radio may be contacted by direct
email at goesdair@yahoo.co.in. The Spectrum Management Division of All India Radio welcomes all reception reports and in particular reports from listeners in the European target
area. Reports and monitoring observations
for DRM transmissions are also especially appreciated.

A number of people have recently
commented on the poor audio quality of the AIR DRM transmissions. They seem to be feeding the DRM trans jitters
with off air signals from the analog shortwave transmitters. Thus, DRM reception doesn’t sound any
better than analog and it certainly doesn’t showcase the quality of DRM. So if you want to , you may give AIR your
feedback on this matter.